Visteon Touts 3-D Gesture Recognition System

Visteon Corp. is showing off its latest gesture-based cockpit control system, dubbed the Horizon cockpit concept, to global carmakers.

The technology uses a camera system to map the user's hand. The driver can then operate several vehicle controls by gesturing, pointing at the desired item on a center stack display or using a twisting motion to turn a virtual volume knob.

The 3-D system enables the driver to manipulate controls without having to reach over to push a button or physically press a touchscreen. Visteon says 70% of consumers who tried out the virtual knob preferred it to operating a physical knob.

A related technology, called a virtual touch screen, enables the operator to choose options on a center stack display by touching a pressure-sensitive pad located elsewhere in the cockpit.

The touch pad can be covered with cloth or leather and, for example, integrated into a center armrest. Like the 3-D gesture system, it allows the operator to select controls displayed on the center stack without touching the display itself.

A third feature of the Horizon system is a dual-layer display that shows information on two separate planes. The operator can virtually push through the top pane of high-resolution graphics to reach the second level. Visteon says the concept could help simplify displays by presenting only features with which the driver is interacting at the moment.